Dependable

The basic state of awareness is completely reliable. Every single time that we choose to acknowledge our very own sky like nature it is found to be naturally present. It does not depend on what thought we might be having or what emotion we might be feeling or even on what circumstance we find ourselves in. Every time we make this simple choice in how we use our mind we effortlessly become more and more certain in the true nature of all experience. We find something about us that we can rely depend upon in any situation.

Seamless

The completely seamless nature of experience is recognised with every short moment. There never has been any division or split in the the basic state of natural perfection. Everything that is provided by Great Freedom supports us in this instinctive recognition, hooray!

Community

It is always completely supportive to spend time with the Great Freedom community anywhere in the world. At the moment I am lucky enough to be in Dharamsala in North India where a month of Open Meetings and written teachings have recently begun. To see the community here effortlessly work together to organise everything that is needed is a real inspiration. The way that everyone cooperates in a spirit of warmth and fun to get done what needs to be done is the perfect demonstartion of how effective the instinctive recognition of awareness is in practical situations.

Many many thanks to all that are here helping to create such a welcoming atmosphere.

Smell

The senses are a fantastic place to test out short moments of awareness.

Whilst cooking a meal today it was a joy to see that it was only through awareness that I was able to delight in the smell of onion, garlic and spices frying. When taking a short moment with physical sensations we immediately recognise their essence as wide-open awareness. It becomes more and more obvious that absolutely everything is a reminder to recognise the basic state of awareness, even the smell of cooking food!

Opinion

What a relief to realise that I no longer have to have an opinion on everything. I used to think that what was important was my opinion and my ability to convince my friends of how brilliant my opinions were. I used to think that what defined me was my opinions and ideas.

It is such a joy to be able to sit and be with anyone and not to have to worry about formulating a clever response to what they are saying based on all my limited ideas. When I am now longer relating through the filter of all my opinions I am actually able to really listen to people and what they are saying. There is immediately a sensitivity and warmth that I rarely noticed when I was completly wrapped up in all my concepts.

Now, when I do respond, it is no longer from a place of having to defend myself and all my clever little ideas but instead the response is spontaneous and easy and naturally sensitive.

Nature's clarity

It is so obvious when we look at the wonder of the natural world that everything rests in a single ground of unity that we do not need to think about it for even one minute. The clarity and dynamic spaciousness that we find when looking at a beautiful view are always the case. We are usually so caught up in disecting all of our thoughts and emotions that we simply fail to notice what is primary to all perceptions.

Delhi

I have just arrived in Delhi to find that brilliant awareness effortlessly permeates the noise and bustle and smiling faces of India! Wherever you go there you are, wide-open and warm hearted.

Clarity

Nothing ever obscures our natural clarity. Whatever appears is only known because it is illuminated by the bright light of clarity. All we need to do is to recognise for short moments that clarity is the essence of every appearance. From this most basic of recognitions we effortlessly grow more and more confident that clarity pervades every situation and can see clearly how to effectively be of benefit to ourselves and everyone around us.

Sky-like

Like the sky, awareness is always wide-open. Without effort it contains all of the phenomena that appear within it and yet is unaffected by any of them. Like sky, we cannot find any boundary, edge or limit, we cannot find a beginning or an end. By simply relaxing as this sky-like awareness we come to recognise that about us that is always naturally present and completely stable, phew, what a relief.